South Korea's antitrust commission will make a final ruling next month on allegations that Microsoft unfairly used its dominant position to shut out rivals, the government said Monday.

The nation's Fair Trade Commission has been investigating allegations raised by South Korean Internet portal Daum Communications in September 2001 that Microsoft breached antitrust laws by selling a version of the Windows system that incorporated Microsoft's own instant messaging software.

Daum, which has its own messaging service, asserted that Microsoft excluded rivals from messaging markets by using its dominant market position. "We'll present the case to the committee meeting on July 13 to make the final decision," a FTC spokesman said by telephone.